


Beyond This Small Horizon

by kereia



Category: Jupiter Ascending (2015)
Genre: Arguments, Conversations, Established Relationship, F/M, First Time, Post-Canon, Space Politics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-21 18:05:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17048030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kereia/pseuds/kereia
Summary: "Everything alright?" Jupiter asked.Face drawn into a grimace, Stinger rubbed the back of his neck."Too early to tell," was his cryptic answer before he jerked his head towards the living room. "There's someone here, who'd like to negotiate a trade agreement with you."Jupiter tries to hold on to her inheritance, negotiate the intricacies of intergalactic politics, and figure out why Caine is acting distant, before another crisis comes up. Because if she learned one thing since becoming queen of the earth, it's that another crisis willalwayscome up.





	Beyond This Small Horizon

**Author's Note:**

  * For [stygiansulfur (icefalcon)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/icefalcon/gifts).



 

The first time it happened, Jupiter was just arriving at Stinger's farm, after he'd called to tell her that an urgent communiqué had arrived which required her immediate attention.

She walked up to the porch when Caine stepped out of the building to greet her, but when she placed her hands on his chest so she could kiss him hello, he pulled away.

"The envoy is waiting for you in the living room, Your Majesty."

His voice was oddly flat as he straightened his spine and put his hands behind his back.

"O-kay?" Assuming that Caine was simply hesitant to show affection where the envoy could see them, she stepped back and entered the house.

Stinger was leaning against the door frame. His arms were crossed, and he was scowling at Caine across her shoulder.

"Everything alright?" Jupiter asked.

Face drawn into a grimace, Stinger rubbed the back of his neck.

"Too early to tell," was his cryptic answer before he jerked his head towards the living room. "There's someone here, who'd like to negotiate a trade agreement with you."

At his wary tone, the short hairs on the back of her neck rose. It was the first time anyone who wasn't Kalique was reaching out to her, and no matter how much time Jupiter had spent studying the Entitled Code – which laid out the laws and customs of the world into which she'd been thrust – she still felt unprepared.

"Keep me company?" she asked nervously.

The humorless grin Stinger threw her way reminded her that he was just as lethal as Caine. It was oddly comforting.

"I would never leave you unprotected, Your Majesty."

 

 

* * *

 

 

As it turned out – and Jupiter groaned out loud for not realizing it sooner given her experiences with Titus – when intergalactic overlords talked about trade agreements and mergers, they meant marriage proposals.

Jupiter turned the first of these down flat, which resulted in said intergalactic overlord's attempt to take over earth as well as two other planets that belonged to her, which in turn resulted in some very tense conversations with the Sargons that had once served Balem, and whose loyalty she had in theory inherited, but in practice needed to negotiate – unless she was prepared to enforce her sovereignty the way Balem had done: by executing anyone who dared to voice opposition.

Since she had no intention to go down that road, Jupiter – with the grudging assistance of Mr. Night – had bartered with Commander Ziza, who had taken leadership of the Sargons after her predecessor's demise. The simple fact that Jupiter afforded Commander Ziza the courtesy of addressing her by her rank and acknowledged the Sargons as the highly-trained and valuable military asset that they were – something Balem had considered beneath him – went a long way to earn the commander's goodwill.

It did _not_ earn her any leeway on the actual terms, but before Jupiter's rejected suitor could cause any irreparable damage to her home world, the Sargons agreed to stop the hostile takeover of her property.

Another consequence of the matter* was that it resulted in an not entirely unexpected visit from Kalique, who suggested that Jupiter might be better served being a bit more diplomatic in her refusals.

When the crisis was finally resolved, and Jupiter returned to the flagship of her fleet (another thing she'd inherited from Balem) she felt drained. Being proposed to one day, having a planet under her protection threatened the next, and having her genetic daughter chide her as if she were a child, made her feel like an abject failure.

All she wanted was to take a few hours to regroup, preferably by snuggling up to Caine in the ridiculously large bed that made up most of her quarters (Seriously, the thing could easy fit half a dozen people. Balem had either been the most restless sleeper ever, or he'd had some seriously kinky appetites – On second thought, she should probably make sure that the sheets had been changed since she'd taken over.)

While she was still fantasizing about Caine wrapping his big, strong arms around her – of nuzzling into his warm chest and wondering if they'd finally get around to do more than kiss – she stepped out of the space yacht that had conveyed her aboard, only to find Caine preparing to board another shuttle.

"Where are you off to? We're about to jump into hyperspace and go home."

Keeping his back towards her, he threw his gear into the shuttle's cargo hold. "I'm not coming back with you."

It took a moment or two for his words to sink in.

"What are you talking about?"

There had been a finality to his tone that made her heart lurch into her throat. On a rational level, she knew that her sudden fear didn't make sense. She trusted Caine with her life and her heart and knew that he must have a perfectly logical reason for staying behind, but she couldn't suppress the sense of abandonment that suddenly took hold of her.

Aside from Caine, Stinger and Commander Tsing of the Aegis were the only people she trusted not to lie to her, and six months had not been enough time to figure out the intricacies of alliances and feuds that governed the galaxy as she now knew it. She'd spent more than one night tossing and turning, worried that one wrong move on her part would bring her tenuous control over her inheritance crashing down around her and expose her family and everyone on earth to the whims of another Entitled's reign.

The stakes were so high as to be overwhelming, and she'd never actually realized how much she relied on Caine's steady presence and unwavering support to keep her grounded – not until he stood before her, unwilling to meet her eyes, and she felt a shiver of fear run up her spine.

"There's some unrest among the splices in the royal guard that were consigned to you by the legion. Someone needs to take a closer look."

"And that someone has to be you?"

"They know me. They might not like me, but they respect my reputation. The freedoms you gave them probably just went to their head."

"What's that supposed to mean? What are they doing?"

Caine whirled around then, and Jupiter was taken aback at the impatience on his face.

"With all due respect, Your Majesty, but you can't just tell a bunch of military trained splices that you consider them equal to humans, give them access to education outside their designated purpose, the choice to leave your service, and the right to breed without asking for permission. They don't know how to use all that freedom wisely that you just dumped on them."

Caught off-guard, Jupiter took a step back. "Why are you so angry? If they have trouble adjusting, you could have told me about it, and we would have figured something out together. We can talk to them and..."

"They are not your equals, Your Majesty. They are yours to command and do with as you please. You're not supposed to talk to them. You're supposed to give them orders." Caine's words came through gritted teeth, and as bewildered as Jupiter was by his strange attitude, she felt the hot burn of anger swell in her stomach.

“You hate the Entitled. Why do you suddenly want me to be like them and pretend to be better than others?"

There was something painful and vulnerable in Caine's eyes as he stared down at her. The tension in his body left a vein visibly throbbing at his temple, and the muscles of his arms and shoulders seemed to vibrate with the sheer force of the restraint he exerted on them.

When he finally stepped closer, Jupiter's breath caught in the back of her throat. His warm, pleasant scent washed over her, and the heat of his body radiated off him, sinking deep into her skin.

For a moment, he looked at her as if he wanted to devour her, and Jupiter found herself shifting closer, the sudden heat in her abdomen forcing her to press her thighs together.

Caine took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and stepped back.

"Her Majesty would be better served to act like the queen she is supposed to be, if she wants to hold on to what belongs to her."

Jupiter felt as if someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over her head.

"I'm doing the best I can," she said quietly. Her hand darted forward, and the sharp sting of rejection burrowed deep into her chest when Caine pulled out of her reach. "I'm still new to this. There are so many rules and so many alliances that I have to keep straight. I'll get better at this, I promise. But I need more time."

"That's why I'm going to talk to the splices," Caine replied. "To buy you the time you need. You can't afford to get side-tracked by a mutiny."

A lump settled in Jupiter's stomach. "I didn't– No one told me that it was this bad."

Her words hit the solid wall of Caine's back, who disappeared inside the shuttle without another word.

 

 

* * *

 

 

"It's _not_ that bad," Stinger told her when she confronted him. "There have been a few challenges among the packs – for leadership of the battalions, Your Majesty," he clarified at Jupiter's questioning look, "but we got that sorted out. One of the main issues is the bureaucracy. Splices, or at least the ones that belong to you now, are considered little more than slaves. Being part of a pack, following orders, that's what gives us purpose..."

His smile was humorless. "At least, that's how it's supposed to be, though it doesn't always work out that way. As far as the soldiers under your command are concerned, you have to understand that they're usually either on a mission, or training for one. Too much down time makes them restless."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "You've given them a whole lot more options, but their new status needs to be legalized. And that will take time and patience and about a dozen different forms that need to be filled out, evaluated, and approved, and well... you remember the nightmarish bureaucracy when you claimed your inheritance, and in your case, there was precedent for it. Giving the splices individual rights is unheard of."

"Well, is there anything we can do to speed up the process?"

"Your Majesty, people are watching you very closely. Most of them don't like surprises. And I'm not even talking about the Entitled; I mean everyone. People want to know that the galaxy in which they wake up tomorrow is the same in which they go to sleep today. You're upsetting their sense of order. And I wouldn't be at all surprised if the bureaucrats on Orous are dragging their feet because of it."

Jupiter crossed her arms beneath her chest. "You say that people like order, but what I'm hearing is that, while people might not be happy living under the thumb of the Entitled, as long as they can still look down at the splices and say "At least I'm not one of them," they are going to keep their heads down."

Stinger smiled mirthlessly. "You're learning fast."

Jupiter sighed. It wasn't that she couldn't sympathize. Her own world had been turned upside down in less than two days, and she was still reeling from it months later.

She hopped onto the table against which Stinger was leaning, and it showed how comfortable they'd grown over the past few months that he stayed where he was and didn't try to maintain a more formal distance. She was glad that, at least in private, he treated her as a friend.

Well, almost. Just like Caine, he refused to address her by anything other than her title.

"What's the other issue? You said there was more than one."

Stinger gave her a pensive look. "They don't trust you."

"The bureaucrats or the splices?"

"Neither of them," he said with a snort, "but I'm talking about the splices. They're not used to having a purpose outside the one they were given, and now you come along and tell them that they will earn a living on top of the basic necessities which the legion provides, that they can get a recode so they can reproduce and have a family, and that they can quit service and take up solar wind surfing if they want to--"

" _Solar wind surfing?_ "

"Very competitive, not to mention dangerous. Good money in it though, if you're good or reckless or both and draw enough sponsors."

"That sounds so cool," she said with enough feeling to make Stinger smile.

He looked at her curiously. "You really don't know what we do for fun around here, do you?"

Jupiter groaned and flopped back onto the table. It wasn't particularly dignified, the way she lay sprawled across the metal surface with her legs dangling over the edge, but she didn't care.

"When was I supposed to look into that, exactly? I've been trying to memorize the history of the Abrasaxes in my spare time. Did you know that Seraphi had been feuding with the House of Arkinish for the past six thousand years, because Tonar Arkinish didn't invite her to his mother's funeral? As far as I can tell, she and Tonar's mother hadn't even been friends. So why should he have invited Seraphi?"

"Public ceremonies always have ulterior meanings. They serve as occasions to negotiate alliances and showcase strength. By not inviting Seraphi to the funeral, Tonar made it clear to everyone who was there, that Seraphi was not an ally of House Arkinish, and since the Abrasaxes were actually the only House not invited at all, it was as good as a public declaration that Seraphi was responsible for the death of Tonar's mother."

Jupiter pressed her hands against her eyes. Her head was spinning. How was she ever going to stay on top of this mess? Just when she'd familiarized herself with the letter of the law, she found layer upon layer of unwritten rules that she needed to learn. It was driving her up the walls.

She took a deep breath and reminded herself that failure was not an option. The fate of the world was, quite literally, at stake.

"We were talking about the splices not trusting me," she said tiredly, deciding that the reason for Caine's absence was the more important issue just now.

"You're not like any other Entitled they have ever met. Some want to leave your service before you change your mind. Some claim you're trying to trick of them, that dangling freedom in front of them is a sort of loyalty test, and that anyone who actually leaves will be executed. Others just want things to go on as before and are upset about the changes–"

"Are any of them actually glad that I'm not thinking of them as cannon fodder?"

"They've been told since the day they were born that they're expendable and that their value is determined solely by their loyalty and competence. You can't upend their lives and expect them to love you for it. There are some who will embrace it, of course, but most of them will be wary of your motives and your character."

"Would it make a difference if I talked to them in person?"

Maybe that's what she should have done in the first place, but mere days after she'd claimed her inheritance, Balem's and Seraphi's former advocates had descended on her with a long list of assets that now belonged to her and asked her what exactly she intended to do with them

She'd felt increasingly out of her depth as she'd listened to them lay out the importance of preserving old alliances (kissing up to other Entitled and making promises she might not be able to keep), expanding her territory (sending her newly acquired Sargons and splice legionnaires into war against rival families), and maintaining the market value of Abrasax Industries (keeping the ReGenX production running).

What Jupiter had taken away from that meeting, aside from a headache, was this: She was _filthy_ rich, there was a ton of income generated by several different revenue streams, though mainly the ReGenX production, and there were a lot of people in her employ who needed to be paid, who looked to her for leadership, and who were worried about their future.

Basically, she'd inherited a business empire, but lacked the education and experience to run it or the knowledge of who she could trust to run it for her until she'd learned enough to do it on her own. The only thing of which she'd been sure was that she had no intention to continue producing ReGenX, which had been an announcement that had not gone over well with the advocates. All in all, she'd had so much on her plate that giving the splices who now legally belonged to her citizenship status had seemed one of the easiest decisions to make.

Apparently, she'd been wrong.

"I think that's a good idea,” Stinger said. “We should talk about that when Caine comes back."

Jupiter pushed herself up on her elbows.

"Do you know why he's upset with me? I got the impression that it's about more than the issue with the royal guard."

Stinger huffed out a breath and pushed away from the table.

"Caine is not upset with you. He's trying to protect you, and he's being an idiot about it."

"Protect me from what, exactly?"

But Stinger shook his head.

"Not my place to tell. The two of you need to sort that out on your own."

 

 

* * *

 

 

Two days after she'd arrived back on earth, Jupiter received a diner invitation from Jillikam Osaris, who, according to Jupiter's notes, was one of Seraphi's oldest allies. She was eighty-four thousand years old, and while she certainly didn't look her age, the holographic projection that appeared in Stinger's living room to deliver the invitation in person (in a manner of speaking) showed her as considerably older than the youthful images Jupiter had found of her on her sheave.

Mindful of Kalique urging her to practice her diplomatic skills, Jupiter accepted the invitation, though a sense of foreboding stole over her.

If Jillikam Osaris was trying to negotiate for access to ReGenX, Jupiter would have to turn her down, and god only knew how that would end. She'd barely extracted herself with all assets intact from one skirmish and loathed the idea that another one might be ahead of her.

As Jupiter hadn't had any time to resolve the issues with her royal guard, yet, she contacted the Sargons, and Commander Ziza assured her that she would personally accompany Jupiter and provide a full escort of twenty Sargons for her protection. Stinger and Caine would round out their party, and Jupiter spent the next two days pulling all information pertaining to House Osaris in general, and Jillikam and her alliances in particular, up on her sheave until the text blurred before her eyes.

Caine returned from his visit to her guard only hours before the scheduled dinner date. His greeting was as distant and tension filled as their parting had been. He avoided all physical contact, and Jupiter honestly didn't know if she wanted to tie him to a damn chair and make him tell her what was wrong, or if she wanted to break into tears.

In the end, she did neither of these things. Angry and heart sick, she watched his retreating back disappear up the stairs, where he took a quick shower and changed his clothes, so he could accompany her to her meeting.

Though Stinger glared after Caine as well, he merely shrugged in a vaguely apologetic manner, when his gaze met hers.

Kiza poked her head out from behind him. “Do you know what you're going to wear, yet? I know the Entitled's dresses look gorgeous, but you should chose something you can run in.”

Jupiter sighed.

They way things were going, she probably should.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Jillikam Osaris was not what Jupiter had expected.

Throughout the records she had studied, the sole surviving member of House Osaris had been described as cunning and cut-throat. She'd become First Primary of House Osaris by killing her own parents more than fifty thousand years ago, and though her siblings' much more recent demise was also attributed to her, formal charges had never been filed.

Understandably, Jillikam's warm and personable manner set Jupiter and everyone in her party on edge.

Even her generous gesture to let Jupiter have as many guards as she wanted in the dining room didn't reassure anyone.

On Jillikam's side, only Maleba, who was introduced to them as Jillikam's Royal Consort, attended the dinner. Maleba was a lycantant, and while Jupiter was as surprised as everyone else in her party that Jillikam publicly acknowledged a splice as her lover, what worried her was Caine's barely suppressed hostility toward her.

The minute he laid eyes on Maleba, his spine stiffened, and she felt that same tension radiate off him that had been so apparent when he'd left for the legion. It made an already strained situation even more uncomfortable.

Conversation was stilted, with both Jupiter and Jillikam sticking to small talk, and with every minute that passed and every glare that Caine sent in Maleba's direction, Jupiter felt more and more as if she were hanging on tenterhooks.

"Why are you here?" she blurted out when she couldn't stand the tension any longer. _Smooth, Jupiter. So much for diplomacy._

Jillikam raised one delicate eyebrow. "Why, to get to know you better, of course."

Jupiter pressed her lips together. She felt rather than saw Caine shift closer to her chair. It gave her the courage she needed to continue.

"Right, this is just a friendly dinner. No ulterior motives behind it whatsoever. And it certainly doesn't have anything to do with me stopping the ReGenX production."

To her surprise, Jillikam laughed. "You are very impatient." She pushed her plate to the side and rested her chin on her folded hands. "I like that. I'm afraid, one of the drawbacks of living forever is that we Entitled waste a lot of time talking in circles, instead of actually getting to the point."

Jupiter secretly thought that another drawback of immortality was that the Entitled spent far too much time scheming and lying, but she didn't say that out loud. Was all that excess of time one of the reasons for the Entitled's convoluted Code of Conduct? For their feuds and machinations? Did the prospect of eternity demand an occupation to fill that time – to chase away the boredom that might otherwise fill up their lives and make their very existence unbearable?

For a moment, she thought she might be on to something, but when she thought about the state of earth's politics and economics, she discarded the idea. Maybe Balem had it right with his 'life as a pyramid' analogy. Maybe people were just assholes who didn't like to share.

"I am sure someone told you by now that Seraphi and I knew each other for a very long time."

"I am not her. I might look like her, but I'm a different person."

"Oh, I'm aware of that. And yet, there are similarities between the two of you that go beyond your genetic code. You have caused quite a stir among the Entitled, since you've claimed your title. I've been watching you closely, and you are quite right to suspect that I have an agenda in meeting you.

“However, I wasn't lying when I said that I want to get to know you better. You see, my plans for the future are contingent on what kind of person you are. You have my assurances that until I figured out whether or not you meet my expectations, that I will not be a danger to you or any you call your own." She finished with a pointed look at Caine, who had moved close enough for Jupiter to feel the reassuring heat of his body against her shoulder.

Not satisfied with such a vague explanation, Jupiter raised her chin and met Jillikam's gaze head on. "And what if I do not meet your expectations?"

"That would be highly inconvenient," Jillikam replied with a small shrug. She rose to her feet. "Will you walk with me?"

"Where to?"

"I would simply like to stretch my legs. These bones may be old, but they still grow restless far more easily than I would like."

Jupiter cast a questioning look up at Caine, who nodded reluctantly, before he gestured towards the nearest pair of Sargons. "Two of your guards will accompany you."

"As will you, I hope," Jillikam said with a smile that was far too knowing for Jupiter's liking. She could have sworn that she heard Caine grind his teeth together before he grunted an acknowledgment.

Maleba fell into step beside Jillikam, and they left the dining room for the splendid colonnade that ran along the entire length of Jillikam's ship. Statues lined the recesses between each intricately carved golden column, their faces so lifelike that Jupiter actually wondered whether or not real people had been turned to stone in order to create them. A shiver running down her spine, she quickly turned her gaze towards the panorama windows on the other side.

The rings of Saturn seemed close enough that Jupiter felt as if she only had to reach out in order to touch them. She could see individual pieces of rock floating in the planet's orbit, and, in the distance, her namesake loomed, big and rust-colored behind the multi-layered rings of its galactic neighbor.

Caine was walking close enough behind her that it seemed natural for Jupiter to brush her fingers against his. To her relief, he reciprocated the touch, his warm hand slipping inside hers and squeezing lightly while his thumb brushed against the back of her palm. Jupiter's eyes fluttered closed, and she subtly leaned into him.

After his reserve the past few days, even this small amount of contact was a balm.

She wished that they were back at Stinger's farm, so she could snuggle against him, breathe in his scent and feel the warmth and comfort of his arms around her body. In the tumult that her life had become, Caine's embrace was the only place where she truly felt at peace.

The sound of someone clearing their throat snapped her back to reality.

Caine pulled away from her abruptly, and Jupiter felt the loss of his warmth more acutely than she would have liked to admit.

Jillikam and Meleba were smiling, though the look they exchanged struck Jupiter as more calculating than amused.

Hoping that the muted lighting within the colonnade hid her blush, she straightened her back, and refused to be cowed.

"You said you liked my impatience, so you'll forgive me for being direct instead of diplomatic again. It would save both of us a lot of time, if you simply told me what your plans are. I don't like feeling like a bug under a microscope, so what exactly do you want from me? Because if it is ReGenX, you will have to negotiate with Titus. He's the only Abrasax who still has any. I destroyed every unit that I inherited from Balem, and I'm not starting up the production again."

Jillikam approached her slowly. "Did you inherit any of it from Seraphi?" She asked with a look that told Jupiter that she already knew the answer.

"No. There was none listen in the inventory of her assets."

"And why do you think that is?"

Jupiter shrugged. She stalled for time, while she tried to decide how much information she could safely divulge.

"According to the records, Seraphi stopped the ReGenX production some time ago and sold the remaining units she owned to various other Entitled."

Stopping directly in front of her, Jilikam gently cupped Jupiter's face in her hands.

"You are so young," she whispered, the sound of her voice drifting in the air like the gossamer wings of a butterfly. "You have so much still to learn."

Suddenly uncomfortable, Jupiter stepped back into Caine's warmth, his strong hand coming instinctively up to the small of her back in order to steady her.

Though Jillikam did not appear offended by her withdrawal, a shadow passed across her eyes, and if Jupiter hadn't known better, she would have called is sadness.

"Seraphi didn't sell any of it to me. Do you know why that is?" she asked as her hands dropped back to her side.

Jupiter mutely shook her head.

This was it then. This was the moment when Jillikam would tell her that, even though she and Seraphi had been allies for millennia, they had turned against each other over Seraphi slighting her by purposely withholding the ReGenx Jillikam needed. And now Jillikam had come to take her revenge on a woman who was already dead, and Jupiter would pay for Seraphi's slight for no other reason than that she looked like her.

She should have declined the invitation, she should have asked Mr. Night and Commander Ziza to implement a blockade of the solar system. Instead, she had allowed Jillikam to bring her ship far too close to earth. Kalique's caution for diplomacy be damned, she should have insisted on a neutral location for their meeting.

With her shoulders stiff as she braced herself for a declaration of war, Jupiter felt the two Sargons behind her shift position, and Caine suddenly pulled her behind him, his muscular body a solid shield for Jupiter to hide behind.

Maleba snickered. "You really are very protective of her," she said while Jillikam stepped back. "My Lady promised that you would come to no harm while aboard our ship. I wonder that you would insult us with your expectations that we would violate the rules of hospitality and attack her."

"Your ship?" Caine growled. "It's _her_ ship. It does not belong to both of you. And you're right, I will protect Her Majesty by any means necessary, because that is my job. Unlike some people, I haven't forgotten where I came from, or where my place is."

Maleba coolly raised her eyebrows. "My place should be wherever I want it to be; whether in the legion or by my wife's side. I should have a choice, instead of being bound by the rules that the Entitled forced upon me before I was born."

"Wife? _Your_ _wife_? Splices don't have spouses. And you weren't born. You were genetically engineered and grown in a gestation tank just like the rest of us. Don't pretend to be something that you're not."

Caine's voice had turned into a snarl, and Maleba clenched her fist as she stepped forward, her dark features angry and severe.

"Caine. What the hell?" Before the two of them could come to blows, Jupiter wrapped both hands around Caine's ridiculously firm bicep and pulled him around. "We are trying _avoid_ a fight. Remember?"

Jillikam had placed a gentle hand on Maleba's shoulder, and as the lycantant looked up at her, the anger slowly drained from her face.

Leaning into Caine, Jupiter dropped her voice until it was barely audible. "What is going on with you? I've never heard you talk like this. You've been fighting to make your own choices since before me met, so why are you angry at her for wanting more from life than what other people intended for her? Don't you want the same thing?"

Caine's eyes bore into her, as if he wanted to pin her in place. "I'm being realistic. We can't change all the rules just because we want to. Reaching for the stars never leads to anything but a long, hard fall," he ground out before he suddenly looked away. "It doesn't matter what I want."

"Yes, it does."

Jupiter stepped right up into his personal space, and Caine's face snapped back to hers. They were so close that their breath mingled, and she could see his pupils widen when he took in the ferocity of her expression.

"What you want matters to me, and as far as falling goes, you have your wings back, and I have my boots, and if you ever fall, you better believe that I will catch you." She reached for his hand, studiously ignoring the fact that they had an audience. "You are not alone anymore."

Caine's gaze roamed her face for a long moment as if he was looking for an answer to a question he dared not ask out loud. His jaw worked restlessly and his Adam's apple bobbed once, before he shocked Jupiter by stepping back.

"This is not the place to talk about this." he said hoarsely.

Jupiter blinked up at him. She felt as if she'd just been hit by a truck.

Maleba's voice pierced the awkward silence that had fallen between them like a lightning bolt splitting a tree.

"The two of you obviously have a lot to talk about, and I don't think it would be wise for us to continue this discussion until you have resolved those issues."

She turned to Caine who was standing stoically by Jupiter's side, gaze focused straight ahead, his posture immobile and frozen as if he were carved from stone like the statues behind them. Her voice gentled when she addressed him. "Hope is a fragile, tender thing. Don't let your fear take the wind out from under your wings."

"I'm not afraid of you."

Maleba scoffed. "Don't pretend to misunderstand me. We are all our own worst enemy, Caine. There are enough people trying to stop us from getting where we want to be. There's no need for you to make it easier for them by standing in your own way."

Though Caine audibly ground his teeth together, he remained silent.

Jillikam stepped forward and offered Jupiter her arm. "May I escort you back to your ship?" she said not unkindly. "We can leave Maleba and Caine to glower at each other and follow in their own time."

Though there was a hint of amusement in her voice, Jupiter barely registered it. She numbly linked her arm with the older woman. The absurdity of accepting support from someone who would probably turn out to be an enemy would have made her balk on any other day, but Jupiter's mind was too preoccupied with Caine's rejection to question whether or not this was a wise move.

Commander Ziza's guard fell into step behind them as they slowly made their way back to the dining room.

"You know, Maleba and I don't disagree very often, but I believe in this case more information instead of less would be more helpful."

Stepping through the crystalline archway that separated the dining room from the main hallway that ran from the bow of Jillikam's ship all the way through its center to the shuttle bay at the stern, Jupiter finally regained some sense of equilibrium. Caine and Maleba caught up to them, each falling into step beside their own party. When Caine's arm brushed against her shoulder, it was Jupiter who pulled away, and a petty, childish part of her embraced the sharp satisfaction of hearing his breath stall for half a second, before she resolutely told herself not to be a brat.

"I agree," she said, and she was glad that her voice sounded steady, even though she didn't feel like that at all. "I take it my relationship with Caine is important to you?"

Jillikam nodded. "You see, in spite of what your Mr. Wise believes, Maleba knows perfectly well where her place is, because she chose it for herself. We are married, and this ship belongs to her as much as it does to me, because she is not only my wife, but also my heir."

Beside Jupiter, Caine's stride faltered, and she saw Maleba throw a smug grin across Jillikam's shoulder that only softened when her eyes met Jupiter's.

Lifting her hand, Maleba removed one of the rings she wore from her finger to show her the Signifying Bond that was tattooed beneath it. "The reason Jillikam didn't receive any ReGenX from Seraphi is that the two of them decided to stop taking it."

"Why?" Jupiter asked at the same time that Caine said. "That doesn't make any sense."

Jillikam stopped walking and turned to him with a sad smile. "Is it? I have lived many lifetimes. I have seen generations come and go. I have seen cities built and leveled to the ground. I have seen hundreds of planets seeded and harvested and destroyed by war." She shook her head, and Jupiter could see her hand tighten around Maleba's, her knuckles white with the force of her grip.

"I am not going to deny that, for most of my life, I didn't care about any of the people we killed. They weren't real to me; in fact, they were little more than cattle to be culled so that my family and I could see another century without growing old. I grew up believing that it was my birth right, that my life was worth more than that of others, and for a very long time, I never questioned it. I didn't want to."

"What changed?" Jupiter asked.

"It wasn't any one thing. If you're hoping for a sob story about the ruthless Entitled, who learned to love and respect her fellow humans through a single act of kindness that opened her eyes, I must disappoint you. It was a realization that came on gradually, that took a lot of time and backtracking and denial, because no one likes to think of themselves as the villain of their own story. With time, I found out that Seraphi felt much the same way as I did. Of course, who is to say, how much of our altered opinions were due to the ennui that had crept into our lives? Ninety thousands years are a very long time. You do lose perspective of the value that individual lives have after a while."

She took a deep breath and continued. "The use of ReGenX is such a deeply ingrained part of an Entitled's life that just the two of us trying to stop it would have never been successful. So we decided to recruit our families to our cause."

A look of sadness stole over Jillikam's face. "I believe you know how that turned out."

Jupiter swallowed heavily. "Balem killed Seraphi, and you–"

"My siblings turned against me. They tried to disinherit me, tried to stop me from using my wealth and influence to implement whatever small changes I could among the people I rule, tried to stop me from petitioning the court for alterations to the Entitled Code that would give more rights and power to the Aegis and hold Entitled responsible for their actions. They claimed that my actions shamed the entire House of Osaris and that I was upsetting the natural order of things. In the end, I felt I had no choice but to fight back."

" _You killed them_."

A mirthless smile tugged at the edges of Jillikam's mouth. "I make no pretense of being a good person." Her calculating look sent a shiver down Jupiter's spine. "But I believe _you_ may still be young enough to be one. The reason I'm here, is that I would like to help you remain that way."

"I don't understand."

"I have decided to live out the remainder of my life with Maleba by my side. Once I am gone, my assets will fall to her, but we all know that the rest of the Entitled will be frothing at the mouth at the idea of a splice being elevated to First Primary of House Osaris. They will never treat her as one of them. They will never respect her. In fact, they will try everything in their power to take her inheritance away from her."

Jupiter shifted uncomfortably on her feet. Her gaze darted from Jillikam to Maleba, who looked both worried and determined. "I get the impression that you somehow expect me to help her stop that from happening, but I wouldn't even know where to start. I'm not even sure how to keep my own head above the water at the moment. I have more than enough people who rely on me. I have to think of them first."

Maleba smiled at her. "I really like you," she said. "I've never heard an Entitled talk like that." She leaned her head against Jillikam's shoulder. "You were right. She's the perfect choice."

"Choice for what?" Jupiter demanded.

"To form a new alliance," Jillikam said. "I may have stopped taking ReGenX, but, baring more assassination attempts, it will take a few decades before I close my eyes for the last time. Until then, I can be useful to you."

Stepping close, she offered Jupiter her hand. "I will help you protect what is yours. I will help you navigate this new world into which you have been thrust, guide you in regards to alliances and help you develop the branches of your business empire that are not tied up with the ReGenX production, so that you can hold on to your assets."

"And in exchange?"

"You will do the same for Maleba, once I'm gone – defend her and everything that belongs to her. Don't let the other Houses take away what is rightfully hers."

Jupiter stared at Jillikam's proffered hand. Her mind was racing. "I need some time to think about that."

"Of course. Do you think a week will be sufficient time for you to consult with your people?"

Jupiter glanced across her shoulder at Caine, who was looking down at her with a grim expression on his face.

"Better make it two," she said, before she shook Jillikam's hand.

 

 

* * *

 

 

"You cannot trust her."

"Why not?"

"Because she's obviously manipulating you."

"What if she's not? What if her offer is sincere?"

Caine took an agitated breath and stopped pacing. His entire body seemed to vibrate with barely restrained emotions.

The short flight back to earth had been steeped in loaded silence, but the minute they had stepped out of the shuttle, the Sargons had left them alone in Stinger's barn, and everything that Caine had held back had burst into the open.

"I have lived my entire life under the thumb of people like her. No matter how pretty their words, the only thing they care about is staying on top of the food chain, and they don't care how many bodies they leave in their wake in order to do it."

Though he made an effort to restrain himself, his voice rumbled with the sound of distant thunder. "If you trust her, she will take everything away from you."

A frustrated huff burst out of her, and she let herself fall against the hull of the shuttle. Staring up at the moonlight that fell through the solitary window of the barn's roof, she crossed her arms beneath her chest and prayed for patience.

"I understand why you're afraid to–"

"I am not afraid," he snapped. "I am just trying to make you see reason. You can't afford to be naive anymore."

Jupiter's spine straightened with the snap of a whip. "Naive, huh? Is that what I am?"

She stalked towards him, fingers curling into the palm of her hand. "I have not forgotten how Titus manipulated me. I have not forgotten that Balem kidnapped my family and threatened to kill them, and there sure as hell isn't a day that goes by, when I forget that I was willing to sacrifice them in order keep earth save. Trust me, whatever naivety my brother took advantage off when he talked me into the hare-brained scheme that got me into this mess, has been soundly beaten out of me by Balem and a crowbar when the refinery on jupiter blew up around us."

"Then act like it. Don't let the next Entitled who strolls into the solar system take advantage of you and force you into a battle you can't win."

"I can't do this on my own, Caine. I need allies I can trust, and the only way to figure out if Jillikam Osaris is that person, is to give her a chance to prove it. I can't afford to turn her away outright."

A growl fell from his lips, and he stepped closer, until his large frame loomed over her. She could feel his breath against her cheek ever time he exhaled. "Please tell me that you do not believe her story about appointing a splice as her heir," he glowered.

Jupiter raised her chin defiantly. "Why shouldn't I? Maleba obviously believes it, and she's been with Jillikam for almost two decades. She knows her a lot better than we do."

"And if she believes she can actually take over as Head of House Osaris, then she's only fooling herself."

"Seem as if everyone is a naive little fool, except you."

Caine suddenly closed his eyes as if it pained him to look at her. "I am trying to protect you," he said, his voice so deep and quiet that it reverberated through every fiber of Jupiter's body.

She took a deep breath, and even though a part of her brain urged her not to get distracted, she couldn't help but reach out to him until her palms rested flat against the solid muscles of his stomach, and she could feel the heat of his body warm her skin. He seemed to tremble underneath her touch, and she leaned in, her own breath ghosting across the stubble on his neck.

"Caine," she said softly, uncaring of how much longing resonated in her voice.

He sucked in a sharp breath, and his eyes flew open.

Time stopped. Jillikam, the barn, the earth itself seemed to fall away until the only thing that existed in the entire universe was the two of them, the way Jupiter's heart beat inside her throat, and the longing in Caine's eyes.

Hands sliding possessively around his waist, Jupiter rose onto her toes and caught his bottom lip between her own.

A shudder ran through Caine's body, and his breath washed out of him in a long, trembling sigh.

And then he withdrew. _Again._

"We can't," he said backing away. "This thing between us needs to stop."

She swallowed down her protest and forced herself to remain calm. "Why?"

"It's my job to protect you. I can't do that if I'm distracted, and I can't do i, if I am a target myself."

Jupiter ground her teeth together as the puzzle pieces fell into place. "Who threatened you?"

"It doesn't matter."

"The hell it doesn't. _Who_ threatened you?"

"No one threatened me, Jupiter." Agitated, Caine ran a hand across his close-cropped hair. "Not directly."

 _Calm,_ she reminded herself sternly. _You need to stay calm._

She didn't feel calm. She felt like bringing down the entire force of her army on top of whoever had upset Caine.

"Come here," she said firmly.

Caine looked at her askance, but didn't move.

"Your sovereign gave you an order, Mr. Wise."

It was a bit of a gamble, but Jupiter had discovered that in spite of Caine's antagonistic feelings toward Entitled, he became very responsive whenever she worked up the nerve to use a firm tone with him.

She would never forget the look of awed adoration on his face, the first time she'd faced down Mr. Night and laid out the terms of his continued employment. She'd been jittery with nerves before she'd walked onto Balem's flagship, but Caine's steadfast belief in her had made it easier to straighten her shoulders and pretend to be the sovereign that she was supposed to be.

That same look was back in his eyes now, shuttered and almost reluctant, but it was there, and he crossed the space between them until his chest was close enough to hers that one deep breath would have her breast brushing up against him.

"Your Majesty," he said roughly.

She wanted to kiss him. Gods, she wanted him so badly.

Instead, she counted to five and hoped that would be enough to get a hold of her stupid hormones.

"Tell me what happened," she demanded, and she was more than a little bit proud that her voice was rock steady.

He swallowed heavily. "The envoy who conveyed the marriage proposal that you rejected..."

"I believe you mean the trade alliance," Jupiter said, her stern tone turning facetious. "I've been told to think of such matters as unemotionally as possible, and that includes using the proper terminology."

Caine relaxed in tiny increments. "That's just more stupid nonsense that the Entitled are trying to fill your head with."

Jupiter smiled up at him. "See, this is why I like you. You've always been honest with me, and you don't like their bullshit any more than I do."

The corners of his lips twitched. He hesitantly raised a hand to her face.

Jupiter stayed perfectly still. If he was finally going to touch her of his own volition, she wasn't going to do anything to spook him.

Only when his fingers finally brushed against her cheek, did Jupiter subtly lean into the touch as she  placed her hand above his own.

"Before you talked to the envoy, he told Stinger and me that whatever relationship the two of us have would have no baring on the proposal. That you were free to keep me as–" he swallowed, "that you were free to be with me, as long as I made sure that I didn't become a liability."

Though, she finally had a better idea of why he was trying to distance himself from her, Jupiter still felt as if there were a lot of things that Caine wasn't saying.

She took a moment to order her thoughts. "Keep you as... what?"

Caine's jaw hardened.

"As a pet."

"Caine, I would never–"

"I know that," he interrupted her fiercely, "but that is traditionally the role that splices take when they catch the eye of an Entitled. It doesn't go too well for us, if we say no to them."

Her heart aching for the life he had lived, Jupiter placed her free hand on top of Caine's steadily beating heart. "Please tell me that you know that you can say no to me. When I ordered you just now–"

"Jupiter," her name fell softly from his lips, and he cradled her face between his large palms. "I know the difference. I have said no to you before."

She swallowed. "Right. Of course, you have. I know that. I just wanted to make that clear, in case it wasn't." Taking a breath, she straightened her shoulders. "Now, about that ridiculous idea of you being a liability–"

"I am," he interrupted her. "Balem already went after your family, and he won't be the only one who will try to use them against you. The more people you care about, the more vulnerable you are–"

"And your solution to this problem is that I cut myself off from everyone and stop caring for people?"

She couldn't believe that this was actually what he was trying to say.

"You know, I wouldn't be at all surprised if that's one of the reasons the Entitled are the way they are. That near total lack of empathy has to come from _somewhere_. Isolating yourself from real human connections is probably the beginning of that road, and treating people as commodities is where it ends. Is that really what you want me to become?"

"Of course not. Stinger and the Aegis already made provisions to keep your family save. You don't have to give them up, but it's not a smart idea to become attached to more people."

" _Become attached_ –" she bristled.

"You know what I mean. Your family isn't exactly small, and there is a limited amount of people you can trust until you've settled into your new role. I am one of the best fighters you have. You need me in that capacity more than in any other right now, and I have to stay focused. Tongues are already wagging about the First Primary of House Abrasax and her favored pet. The envoy knew. If the Entitled believe that you don't keep me for your protection or amusement, but that you actually care for me, they will try to use me against you the same way Balem tried to use your family."

"I was going to sacrifice my family in order to protect earth," she said quietly. It was a decision that still haunted her. She couldn't say if she'd be able to do it again. The guilt of having done it once, of denying Balem and weighing the sheer number of lives against her own heart still sat too deep.

"And that was brave of you, but could you do it again?" Caine asked, putting his thumb with unerring aim on the sore spot.

"I don't know," she admitted. "I _won't_ know until I have to make the decision again. And it doesn't matter. Keeping you at arm's length in order to avoid gossip is not a solution."

Caine let go of her. His eyes were troubled, and he shook his head with obvious frustration. "Don't be a fool." His voice hardened. "I swore to protect you, and I will do whatever it takes to make sure you're save."

He turned away and strode to the entrance of the barn as if that was the end of the discussion. 

However, this time, Jupiter didn't stay put – this time she pursued him, grabbed his arm and pulled him back around.

"You do realize that this genius plan of yours has one fatal flaw, right?"

He clenched his jaw as his gaze bore into hers. "And what is that?"

Jupiter released his arm and met his gaze defiantly. "It's too late. The ship has sailed. I care about you, and that's not going to change just because you decide to walk away from me. Especially not for a reason as stupid as this."

"I understand that you feel that way now, but in a few months–"

"I will never _not_ care about you," she insisted, her voice brooking no argument.

There was something in his eyes, a sort of hopeless vulnerability that made her press on. "I don't know how you can even think that time will change the way I feel about you. Do you honestly not know how much you mean to me?"

He wouldn't meet her eyes. "Jupiter, you can't– you can't talk like this. I'm a splice."

"You're a person, not a pet. You're a soldier, not a slave. You earned the respect of the Aegis, and you have a place here, because you chose it." She gently ran her fingertips along his brow. "And you are loved."

He exhaled against her palm and closed his eyes. She saw the convulsive shudder that ran though his shoulders as he started to reach for her and held himself back, and her heart broke for him.

He _was_ afraid, she suddenly realized with unshakable certainty. He was afraid to lose her, and if his brain was anything like hers, he'd probably already imagined every single scenario in which that could possibly happen, from her falling in love with someone else, to her getting killed by Titus or Jillikam or Maleba or Mr. Night, to her accidentally falling into a volcano when her gravity boots malfunctioned, and a storm blew her off course and all the way to the Rockies, just when Mt. St. Helen erupted.

Brains were funny that way.

"I love you," she whispered against his jaw before she pressed her lips to his skin. "Time and distance are not going to change that."

Though his body trembled beneath her hands, he remained unyielding.

"Time and distance _always_ change that," he said lowly, and the aching loneliness in his voice only made her press herself more firmly against his chest.

She wanted to hold him, wanted to chase away the shadows in his eyes, until nothing remained there but warmth and the certainty that he deserved love – that he deserved so much more than his life had been before they'd met.

For the moment, she took solace in the fact that he wasn't trying to run away from her. He was still here, and he wasn't pushing her away, and that gave her hope that he might actually _want her_ to convince him that he was wrong.

"Is that how it will be for you?" she asked.

His heated gaze snapped to hers, and Jupiter felt a tiny spark of satisfaction along the base of her spine. They both knew the answer to that question.

"Tell me," she urged. "Tell me that time and distance is going to change your feelings, that it will make you indifferent to me, that you will think of me as nothing more as another Entitled. Tell me, and I will drop this subject and let you go."

Instead of answering, he lowered his head. His shoulders slumped almost imperceptibly, and if Jupiter hadn't been so focused on him she might have missed it.

"Don't–" he pleaded. "Jupiter, don't do this."

"Say it."

"I can't. You know, I can't. I'm not human, Jupiter. I'm a splice. We don't feel things the same way."

There was a time when she would have let those words deter her, but six months of having her nosy questions answered by him and Kiza and Stinger, gave her the confidence to call his bluff.

"Oh, I see," she said quietly as she looped her arms around his unresisting body. "Splices are the only ones who love with constancy. All us Terssies, on the other hand, are vapid, fickle creatures, who fall in and out of love as often as a bee beats its wi–"

"Damn you," he growled.

His hands came up to cup the back of her head, and his mouth crashed down on hers.

Jupiter sucked in a sharp breath and flattened her palms against Caine's broad back, where the tips of his folded wings tickled her fingertips. She let herself fall into the kiss, let its passion sweep her away until she was light-headed with the feel of him inside her arms, the sheer strength of him finally yielded to her. Pressing her chest against him, she gentled the kiss just enough to open her mouth and drawn his bottom lip between hers.

Caine moaned and changed the angle of his head and–

_Perfect._

A shiver ran down the length of her spine when he gently sucked on her tongue. Heat pooled between her legs, and before she even made a conscious decision to move, she'd rucked up the short hem of her dress and jumped to wrap her legs around Caine's waist, secure in the knowledge that he would catch her.

One of his hands supported her butt, and he swallowed the thoroughly undignified, lewd little noise that tore out of her when she felt his hips press into hers. Two steps had her backed up against their shuttle's outer hull, where Jupiter tightened her legs around him. She couldn't be close enough to him. She'd wanted to feel his skin beneath her hands for so long, she couldn't even remember the first time she'd given in and slid her fingers beneath the waistband of her underwear while she'd bitten her pillow to make sure she wouldn't wake up her mother and aunt by calling out his name in the dead of night.

Something had always come up to keep them apart. If it wasn't her work schedule, then her duties as the head of House Abrasax had interfered, but Jupiter wasn't going to let anyone or anything get between them tonight.

She raked her fingernails gently across Caine's scalp. To feel him shudder against her – to feel this mountain of strength and muscles shiver with want of her – had flames flickering inside her, and the warm flood of arousal pooling between her legs.

She curled her tongue around his pointy ear, and felt his hips buck into her. His wings unfolded, rising beautiful and strong, only to bend around her.

She laughed softly. “That will never get old,” she teased him. "But you haven't answered my question, yet."

Caine cursed into her neck. His hands came to her thighs, gripping her firmly as his mouth latched onto her neck.

Jupiter hissed as a surge of pleasure shot through her, but she was determined to get her answer.

She playfully nipped at the lobe of his ear.

"Tell me," she insisted huskily.

"I won't–," Caine ground out. "I won't ever feel indifferent about you, You Majesty. I couldn't. I'm yours. I've always been yours."

He looked up at her with something so close to reverence, that Jupiter felt herself caught in that look, felt herself fall, felt humbled and awed and far too full of everything that he meant to her, to do anything but feel, to draw him closer and kiss him as if she'd never get the chance to kiss him again.

Slanting her mouth against his soft, plush lips, she kissed him as if she wanted to devour him, slow and deep, savoring his taste on her tongue and his scent in her nose, which spoke of safety and desire and devotion and home.

They were both struggling for breath when Caine withdrew, and she could feel the hot, hard length of him pulsing between her legs.

He pressed a quick, gentle kiss against the underside of her jaw, and rested his forehead against hers.

"Don't stop," Jupiter panted.

"Let me get you to a bed first."

"The barn is fine. The barn is _fucking perfect_.”

Her vehemence startled a quiet laugh out of him. He rocked his hips into hers, and Jupiter moaned.

"Right here?" he teased her.

She gripped his gorgeous, firm ass with both of her hands and pulled him back into her.

"Right _there_ ," she insisted.

Caine's eyes darkened.

"You have no idea, how badly I want you," he told her.

"Then take me." She kissed him hard and wet and deep and lifted her hands to tear at his tactical vest. "I want you just as badly. I've wanted you for so long. Fuck, Caine. I need you."

He groaned and closed his eyes, and she could feel him inhale her scent, right before he pinned her to the hull with his hips and opened the zipper of her dress. "I know. It's in your scent, Jupiter. It's been torture to smell you and not be able to do anything about it."

When the bodice of her dress pooled around her waist, Jupiter guided Caine's mouth to one of her breasts and watched him suck her nipple into her mouth. His eyes held her gaze as his tongue curled around the hardening bud, and Jupiter couldn't stop herself from arching into him.

The knowledge that he could smell her arousal, and how responsive he was to it, made her head spin.

"That's it," she crooned softly as she scratched her fingers through his short hair. "That feels amazing. Don't stop. Please, don't stop."

Caine's eyelids fluttered shut, and he dedicated himself to the task of making her moan and writhe against him, until she was so wound up with need that the sounds falling from her mouth were barely human.

She finally managed to push his vest off while minding his wings, and he took pity on her and quickly let his under armor follow suit. Had she been physically able to purr when she felt the smooth expanse of his strong back beneath her palms, she would have done it. As it was, she leaned back against the shuttle, Caine's hands supporting her effortlessly when he trailed his warm, wet mouth from her throat down to her other breast, on which he lavished the same attention as he'd done to its twin.

Jupiter's hands dove between their bodies and unzipped his pants so she could finally take hold of him – could finally make him whimper the way he'd done to her, and feel the heavy length of him rocking into her palm.

"Your Majesty," Caine gasped, and never had he calling her by her title sent a headier thrill through her than in this moment. "Your Majesty. Please. Jupiter."

She shushed him softly and ran her hand along the warmth of his cock. Precome was already beading at the tip, and she brushed her thumb over it while her index finger rubbed teasing circles across the throbbing vein that ran along the underside.

Caine whined against her chest, her nipple falling from his lips with a soft, wet pop. He buried his face in her neck, and his body started to shake hard enough that Jupiter was actually worried that he might drop her.

"So eager," she whispered into his ear. His breathless gasp made muscles inside her seize that she hadn't even known existed. "Can I– Can I ask you to do something for me?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Anything. I will do anything you want."

She pressed a kiss to the side of neck. "Good boy," she said teasingly.

A strangled sound escaped his lips, and Jupiter knew that it took every shred of self control he had just to hold on.

She'd never felt bold enough to actually say this out loud, but with Caine she felt her inhibitions fall away. He liked it when she was bossy. She knew he did.

So she took a deep breath, and told him exactly what she wanted.

"I want you to help me get my underwear out of the way, and then you're going to put that gorgeous, thick cock of yours inside me, and you're going to fuck me until I can't take anymore."

The words tumbled out of her in a rush, and she felt a flush steal up her neck, but when Caine drew back to look at her – adoration and desire written so clearly on his face that it took her breath away – she felt her heart stutter and a sense of confidence settle into her that she'd never felt before.

He nodded solemnly. "As you wish, Your Majesty."

A twist of his strong fingers pushed the seat of her underwear aside. He never stopped looking at her as his hand covered hers, and both of them guided the thick head of his cock through the folds of her labia. Jupiter could hardly believe how wet she was, or how amazing it felt to have him brush against her clit like this.

When he finally sank into her, she threw her head back and arched her back. Nothing had ever felt this good. His cock filled her, and she reveled in the burn of her muscles adjusting to his heft. Caine remained motionless inside her, giving her a moment that she didn't actually need, and she kissed him heatedly, wrapping her arms around his neck and squeezing her muscles around his shaft, until he moaned into her mouth, and his hips started to move.

Neither of them was going to last long.

The realization hit Jupiter the moment she bucked into his thrusts, when she felt the heat inside her flare, when her body became soft and malleable, and every sensation she felt narrowed down to Caine – to his panting breath against her neck and the delicious drag of his cock pumping into her body.

They had denied themselves too long, had spent too much time imagining this moment, waiting, hoping for it, and now that they were finally together, the tension ratcheted up and up and up, leaving them breathless, careening heedlessly towards that heady precipice and the intimate release that lay beyond.

But that was okay. This was not the end, it was a beginning. Later that day, they would make it to an actually bedroom and close the door behind them. They would take their time learning each other's bodies, discovering what made the other gasp and squirm, where they were ticklish and how the other's arousal tasted on their tongue.

They would find a way to protect each other, and Jupiter would learn how to rule her empire wisely.

One day, she would tell her family, and when they inevitably freaked out, she and Caine would deal with that too.

And once Caine grew comfortable with the idea that a splice could raise himself up to stand as an equal next to an Entitled, Jupiter would ask him to rule by her side.

They were in this together. Not because they were born to it, but because they'd chosen their paths – Jupiter when she'd denied Balem, and Caine when he'd come after her again and again – and those paths had led them to each other.

 


End file.
